Confessions of a Rockin mom #9: Fears related to Down syndrome and eating patterns

Everett was born 5 weeks early and he was by far the smallest of my 2 children, weighing 6 lbs 13 oz. Luckily, his early arrival didn’t lead to too many complications (jaundice is the only one I can recall) but Everett was a scrawny little thing as a newborn. In the very early days, I recall getting a lot of unsolicited advice from healthcare professionals regarding Everett’s current and future eating patterns. Some said he’d never eat well due to his low tone and he’d struggle to gain weight & thrive, some said he’d forget to eat at around 3 months, and others were cautious and had a “wait and see” approach. So of course, in those very early days, Vic & I scrutinized every ounce little Everett ate, his spit-up, burps, diaper changes…you name it. And you know what we observed? Everett getting fatter and fatter every day. I don’t know why everyone was so doom and gloom about his eating in those early days…I tend to think it was low and inaccurate expectations. Well, I’m proud to say that this fear was utterly ridiculous and unwarranted in Everett’s case. When Everett was around 3 weeks old he began seeing therapists for his milestones. And each one of them will tell you what a good eater he was and is. As a matter of fact, he still gets high marks for independent eating from his preschool teachers! To the early naysayers I say — the proof is in this photo.